Water ski launching carriage



March 2, 1954 G, P BLOCK 2,670,693

WATER SKI LAUNCHING CARRIAGE Filed Oct. 26, 1951 George l? -B/oc/r HVVENTUR.

BY udmy M@ Patented Mar. 2, 1954 n Y- UNITED STATE-s PATENTv ori-lcs,

WATER SKI LAUNCHING CARRIAGE George P. Block, Troy, N. Y. Application October 26, 1951, Serial No. 253,379

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in water-ski launching devices t facilitate the starting motion of the skier from a stationary position. The invention is designed primarily for use in teaching the art of water skiing and to enable the skier to be towed by a boat from a stationary position without danger of the skier losing his balance and to enable a boat with only suflicient power to plane a skier to start the skier with a minimum of resistance.

Accordingly it is an important object of the present invention to provide a carriage adapted to travel on tracks leading from the shore or other supporting structure into the water and on which the skier is seated in a position to be towed by a boat and pulled free of the Vcarriage as the required planing momentum is obtained.

Another object of the invention is to provide adjustable means for the seat on the carriage as well as adjustable means for the track or rail on which the carriage travels to compensate for variations in the water level due to tide changes, or other reasons.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is eiiicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, references being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view; and

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals 5 and 6 designate a pair of `tracks which may be constructed of inexpensive material, such as wooden planks and supported at their rear ends on blocks or other suitable foundations 'I on the shore of a body of water and supported at their front ends on posts 8 placed in the Water outwardly from the shore. 'I'he posts 8 may be attached to a portable base or frame structure 9 for removal from the water as a unit, when not in use.

The front end of the tracks 5 and 6 are vertically adjustable on the post 8 by means of legs I0 which are suitably connected at their upper ends to the front ends of the tracks and provided with a row of vertically spaced apart openings II to selectively receive a pin I2 carried by the post 8 to secure the legs in vertically adjusted position and thus to raise or lower the front end of the tracks 5 and 6 to compensate for the rising and fallin-g of the tide, or other water level variations.

A carriage I3 preferably of a rectangular frame construction is provided at its underside with rollers or wheels I 4 at the side edges of the carriage for traveling on the tracks 5 and 6. Guide flanges I5 are suitably secured to the underside of the carriage to travel along the inside of the rails 5 and 3 to keep the rollers I4 on the track. A seat I6 is secured to the front edge of the carriage I3 and a rope or other ilexible member Il connects the rear edge of the carriage to a stake I8 on the shore to check the forward movement of the carriage and :by means of which the carriage may be pulled rearwardly along the track to a starting position.

The seat I6 is provided with vertically adjustable legs I9 which are slidable vertically in brackets l2li secured to the carriage and the legs are formed with vertically spaced apart openings 2| to selectively receive a pin 22 carried by the bracket to secure the legs and the seat in vertically adjusted position relative to the carriage.

An endless rope or cable 23 is trained around pulleys 24 attached to front and rear stakes 25 and 26 positioned respectively outwardly in the water and on the shore and a hook 21 is attached to the lower ight of the -endless rope.

In the operation of the device the carriage I3 is pulled to its rearward position on tracks 5 and `Ii and a handle 28 of the tow rope 29 to be pulled by a boat 30 is engaged with the hook '21 and the rope 23 pulled on the pulleys 24 to bring the handle 28 within reach of a person occupying the seat I6. As the boat 30 moves outwardly from the shore the towl rope '29 is held by the skier i n the normal manner and the skiers weight on the carriage I3 causes it to move outwardly on the tracks 5 and 6 and enables the skier occupying the seat to balance himself on the skis while in a seated position and before subjecting his weight to the ski. The forward movement of the carriage I3 is checked by the rope Il while the skier continues his forward travel in a normal planing position on the skis.

Both the seat I6 and the tracks '5 and "6 may be adjusted vertically to compensate for the rise and fall in the tide or other water level variations so that the skis will rest on the surface of the water while the skier occupies the seat.

In View of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in the art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptikletofceittain changes fullyscomprehended by the Lspirit of the "invention'as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, claimed as new is:

l. A water ski launching apparatus comprising what vis a trackway, a carriage mounted to travel Kon ithe itcuch the water, said trac-kway beingeopensub- ,.stantallythroughout, its length .to provideiaclear andnnobstructed path for the-,carriagealong the ftrack.

:2. Atwater ski daunchingeapparatuscomprising a pair of tracks having at leastgonefendfsupported Y s r 4 over a body of water, a carriage mounted to travel on the tracks, and a seat on the carriage adapted to be occupied by a skier in a position to be towed away from the carriage, said tracks being spaced from one another throughout their length to provide an open space therebetween for a clear and unobstructed passage of the carriage along the track, said seat being disposed above the surface of the water a height suflicient to enable the feet Lef a skier thereon e'to touch the water.

3. A water ski launching apparatus comprising a pair of tracks having at least one end supported over a body tof water, a carriage mounted to travel on the tracks, means checking forward movement of the carriage, said tracks being ,spacedffrom one another throughout their length to provide an open space therebetween for a clear-and unobstructed passage of the carriage along the track, said carriage being disposed A.above fthe surface of .the AWater .aheightfsufcient .to enable ,the ,-ieet :of a ...skier thereon to :touch 4the water.

GEORGERABLOGK.

No :reierences cited 

